Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
—Matthew 5:5
LOOK: The Bruised Sky by Claudia Alvarez
LISTEN: “The Gentle Strong” by David Benjamin Blower, on The Book of Bare Life and Returns: Praying the Psalms in the Anthropocene (2023)
Fret ye not, little heart
At the wheels that want and take and hurt
O forsake their heartless rage
For the wheels shall all lay down and be covered in moss
And the trees shall take back all the towersRefrain:
And the gentle strong shall inherit the land
Be ancestors of the better days at hand
No wealth but life
No wealth but life
All shall pass rightBe not forged in their fires
Who live as though living were a war on life
Put your feet in the soil
And speak to the Yon thy delights and thy heart’s desires
And your justice wax still as the noon [Refrain]
David Benjamin Blower [previously] from Birmingham, England, is one of the most original, thoughtful, and compelling songwriters of faith working today. His songs contain unique poetic images, never resort to cliché, and often embody Advent vibes in their weary hope and their yearning for shalom. This subdued track from his 2023 album addresses the “gentle strong,” another word for the “meek” who are lifted up by Jesus in the Beatitudes.
Gentleness or meekness is not a trait that’s typically rewarded in modern Western cultures. Last month, for example, the people of the United States elected a brash, crude, violent, and egotistical man into our nation’s highest office. It seems to me that many voters mistake his loudness and self-importance for strength.
But the kingdom of God is not like the kingdoms of this world. In God’s kingdom, the gentle strong flourish under the benevolent rule of Jesus Christ, who himself models gentle strength.
Blower’s song gives us images of renewal: Of wheels that used to drive and crush becoming still and growing moss. Of trees overtaking our skyscrapers, reclaiming the land—organic growth and abundance, supporting human and nonhuman life. Of the meek entering at last into their inheritance.
The better days are at hand; may we do our part in bringing them to birth. May we be forged in a different fire: not ire or selfish ambition but love. May we embrace life and the things that make for life. May we keep in constant conversation with “the Yon”—the One who is above and beyond and yet, paradoxically, immanent, a friend who’s always close by. May we be consistently grounded in doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God.
Art & Theology 